Former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou is undergoing a lot of troubling times as he is reported to have lost two family members within a fortnight, local media say.
The 31-year old Hertha Berlin player would be travelling to meet his family in light of the losses. This means the Ivory Coast international would not be in action when his country plays Sierra Leone in the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in September.
Kalou lost his father, Antoine as he suffered from heart attack. While he was nursing this pain, his aunt died two weeks later. The player would be required to plan for the burial of the dead.
“I’m travelling home to support my family. Of course I am unbelievably sad and feel empty. Football is a therapy for me at the moment. It will take a while to get over this,” Kalou told German news outlet Bild.
His brother, who is also a professional footballer Bonaventure Kalou, is also expected to join family members during these trying times. Kalou has two brothers and eight sisters from the same mother. The mother is the parent to the children now, though other family members are on ground as they bury the dead.
Ivory Coast have enough hands to prosecute the game against Sierra Leone, particularly as they require just a point to against their opponents to qualify for the 2017 finals set to be hosted by Gabon. They are the current holders of the title after their win in 2015. Nigerian won the 2013 edition but were couldn’t qualify for the 2015 edition. Going into the next edition, Ivory Coast remains the favourites to retain the title. Kalou would surely be missed, as he is enjoying a decent form. He was the highest goal scorer last term for Hertha with 14 goals in 32 games in the league.